


The Sniffles

by awildone



Category: Schitt's Creek
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-22
Updated: 2021-01-22
Packaged: 2021-03-14 13:49:18
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,246
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28921611
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/awildone/pseuds/awildone
Summary: Johnny Rose doesn't get sick, except for when he's in California, & they're not just allergies.
Relationships: Johnny Rose/Moira Rose, Stevie Budd & Johnny Rose
Comments: 18
Kudos: 29
Collections: Schitt's Creek Season 7





	The Sniffles

**Author's Note:**

  * In response to a prompt by [theclaravoyant](https://archiveofourown.org/users/theclaravoyant/pseuds/theclaravoyant) in the [SCSeason7](https://archiveofourown.org/collections/SCSeason7) collection. 



> **Prompt:**
> 
> 7x05 - Johnny Rose doesn't get sick.  
> Bonus points for help and/or comfort from Moira, Stevie etc.
> 
> (prompt for any format that takes your fancy!)

Stevie Budd accepted the virtual meeting invite on her computer and as she did, her business partner sneezed off to the side, surprising the young woman. “Bless you!” she made a face through the screen and Johnny Rose turned to look at her.

“Thanks. How’s everything going? Where’s Roland?” Johnny asked curiously, viewing the painted deer in the portrait behind Stevie’s desk, but not the third and final member of their business group.

“Things are going…” she said as her eyes widened and she shook her head slightly, “well, it’s certainly different without you and Mrs. Rose here.”

Johnny pursed his lips with a hint of nostalgia. It hadn’t been too long, but he missed the town more than he cared to admit. He and Moira had been in California for just under two months now, but he was still adjusting. He was learning the area where they were living while he tried his best to help Moira study her first script that she’d received in the mail just days prior. On top of it all, his allergies were flaring up again. They’d died down a few weeks after arriving, but he could feel his chest was a little tighter when he awoke that morning, and he had a headache that would not disappear. To be honest, his entire body hurt, but he knew he was tired from the lack of sleep he got the night before, and also due to his allergies, or so he told himself.

“I’m sure you’re doing an excellent job.”

Stevie rolled her eyes with a bashful smile. “Thanks Mr. Rose.”

Before Johnny could return her smile, he was sneezing again and groaning at how painful this one had been.

“Mr. Rose?”

“It’s just allergies, I think because it’s getting a little colder now.”

“It’s the middle of summer,” Stevie cocked a brow at him through the computer. “Your eyes are really puffy.”

He gave her a look of annoyance. “Where’s Roland?”

“I don’t know, I’m trying to stall for him.”

“Is he even at the motel, Stevie?”

The girl grimaced and regrettably shook her head. “No, he’s not. He’s running late. Again. He’s been busy with the baby, but he’s never here on time without you to keep him on track,” she admitted, taking a breath, trying not to get annoyed with how things had changed since the eldest Roses left town.

“Alright, I’ll have a talk with—” Johnny began, but interrupted himself with another sneeze that made him wince, placing a hand to his chest protectively. Another followed, and when he was done, he looked utterly exhausted. His eyes were watering from the pressure of it all, and it scared Stevie.

“Mr. Rose! Are you okay? I really think you need to see a doctor, you look like you’re in pain!”

“I am, but it’s just my allergies,” he said with a sniffle, unsure whether or not now his eyes kept producing tears because of the intensity of his sneezes or if it was because he was hurting. His chest felt like it was on fire now. Something just wasn’t right. “Maybe we should postpone this little partner meeting. Roland’s not there anyway,” he said with a roll of his eyes.

“Will you please promise me you’ll at least take some cold medicine and try to rest? It seems like you’ve gotten worse even since you’ve been on this call.”

He gave her a soft smile. “Not worse, just a few extra sneezes. Honestly, I’ve been feeling pretty crappy since I woke up this morning, but I thought I could power through it.”

“Is Mrs. Rose around? Maybe she can make you some tea; I know she’d want to take care of you,” Stevie said with a concerned nod, wishing for a brief moment they were in the same vicinity again.

“No,” he said with a soft smile, his eyes now looking so swollen to Stevie. But Johnny was so proud of his wife and all she had accomplished while they had been out in California. “She’s at work, I think they’re working on costume fittings today.”

“Alright, well, I want you to go lay down, Mr. Rose. Seriously. You need to rest up so you feel better. Then you can kick Roland’s ass for not taking his job seriously,” she said with a nod, before cracking a smile. “Virtually, of course.”

“Oh, if I need to come back to get him in line, I’ll be more than willing,” Johnny said with a nod, also giving a little grin. This was followed by yet another sneeze, and Stevie let him go before it got any worse.

Johnny really did feel miserable. He’d been trying to work through the allergies, also known as the head cold that he knew he had come down with, but it was nearly impossible as he just kept feeling worse as the hours passed by. He wondered what time Moira would be home. He could really use the company, and, as Stevie mentioned, a cup of tea that she specifically prepared for him. Of course he could make his own, but there was just something so delicious about the way Moira made it.

The patriarch went to his bedroom where he took his coat off and laid down on the bed. He wasn’t even sure why he put it on for the virtual meeting he was having with Stevie and Roland, before the younger man didn’t show up, but he felt much better as he unbuttoned his shirt a bit and got comfortable between the sheets and the comforter.

The next thing Johnny knew, he was hearing his name being called throughout the house, and with a quick breath, he jolted up. “Moira?” he called, before she came into their bedroom, dramatically placing a hand over his chest.

“John! There you are! I was worried sick!” she pouted, walking over to where he was sitting on the bed, joining him in an upright position. “Stevie phoned, she said you were ill. Why didn’t you tell me, Johnny? Staying home to take care of you would’ve been a task I prioritized!”

“No, no, it’s fine, Moira. I was just a little under the weather,” he told her with a genuine smile, happy to see her. But he looked so exhausted and worn out. Moira cupped his face with her hand and her expression remained full of concern. “Really, it seemed like allergies this morning!”

“Darling, you look just liverish. You must have a fever,” she said, rubbing her thumb over his chin. “Lay back down, John. I’ll make you some tea, how does that sound?”

He nodded at her gently. “I’d really appreciate that, but you did not have to come home early, sweetheart,” he said once he’d realized the time.

She pursed her lips and shook her head slightly. “I did, though. You’re the most important thing in this world to me, Johnny. I want to be here for you.”

John just watched as Moira stood up and exited the room. He laid back down, a bit less tired than he had been when he’d drifted off an hour or so beforehand, and soon, Moira was reentering the room with a cuppa in hand, setting it down on his bedside table.

“Thank you, Moira,” he gave her a half smile, before he watched her walk to their armory where she began to rummage through the drawers, looking for clothes that might be more comfortable for her husband. While she was there, she chose some pajamas for herself, too, wanting to spend the rest of their evening in bed beside him, ensuring she was able to perform any task he might need.

“I’d like to get you out of those clothes, are these pajamas suitable?” she asked, holding up a t-shirt and a pair of long pajama bottoms. She knew he liked his nightgowns, but she wanted him to be a bit warmer as he wasn’t feeling the best, and she figured having pants on would help keep his whole body warm.

He nodded at her, getting back up before he changed into them, watching on as she stripped out of her daily clothes, exchanging them for the silk pajama set she had laid out on the bed. He smiled lightly as her bra came off, and she turned away from him, already knowing what he would be up to if he were to see her topless. She quickly buttoned the shirt around her chest, and then turned back around with a light grin at how handsome he looked, even while sick. “Alright, Mr. Rose, back to bed you go,” she nodded at him.

Johnny obliged, moving back to bed where his tea was a bit cooler now, and he leaned against his pillows, taking a sip of the hot liquid. He could feel it move through his chest, warming him up as he sighed. However, he could feel what was coming next, and set his cup down with just enough time so that he didn’t sneeze into it.

“Bless you! Oh, John, that looked painful,” she gritted her teeth. Her voice got light as she asked, “Can I do something to soothe you? A back rub? Something?”

“No, I’m okay,” he said with a nod. “I think it’s just a cold. It’ll pass.”

“And you’ve ingested some decongestants?”

He looked at her with a hint of regret and said, “I haven’t, no.”

“John!” she got up quickly, leaving their room again and quickly returning with a few remedies that she’d found in the medicine cabinet. She fed him something that also had an anti-inflammatory in it, before she brought out the rest of the bottle to the kitchen and stomped back into the bedroom, slightly annoyed that he hadn’t taken care of himself in the slightest. “You realize that’s why we have an entire cupboard devoted to treatments for ailments, correct? You need to utilize the drugs we have access to, John.”

Johnny had to crack a smile at that. They used to have drugs that the FDA hadn’t even approved, but they managed to make due in California with more basic remedies. “I’ll take more tomorrow if I’m still under the weather,” he told her with a nod. “Lay down with me?”

Moira couldn’t even pretend like she was still upset when she heard his pitiful voice. “Of course, my love,” she told him sweetly, laying down so that he could wrap his arms around her. He rubbed over her arm lightly and she looked back at him, knowingly. “Not while you’re sick, John. I don’t want what you have.”

“You know you’re going to end up with it anyway.”

“Bite your tongue! I’ve been consuming those Vitamin C packets religiously!” she complained, giving him a frown in reply to his prediction. The mixture was not something she enjoyed in the slightest, but it had kept her relatively healthy to take one on a daily basis.

“Alright, alright. I’m sorry. I don’t want you to be sick,” he told her quietly. “But I’d take care of you if you were.”

“Mm, and does your medical training include trying to get me out of my pajamas? Because mine doesn’t. You need to rest so that we can enjoy more time together like this, with fewer articles of clothing, preferably.”

“It might,” Johnny smirked, inching down to her chest.

“Jonathan Rose, you rest! Close your eyes, keep your hands to yourself, and get some sleep,” she commanded, unable to believe his audacity, trying to initiate intimacy at a time like this.

“It’s your fault for changing in front of me,” he said, removing his hand from the side of her chest and gently placing it over her waist, in a gentle, innocent manner. “You know I can’t control myself when I see you take your clothes off.”

She took a breath. “Well, you’ll have to. Until you’re well again, I want you to take it very easy. And I will not prolong your illness, nor will I contract it from you, just because you think you need to bed me tonight.”

“Fine, fine, I’m done,” he said with a gentle smile. He kissed her hair lightly. “Thank you for coming home to take care of me. It means more than you know.”

“I’d do anything for you, John. Don’t you know that? I just wish you’d told me this morning before I left. Hearing about it from Stevie was less than ideal. It frightened me. I wasn’t sure how serious it was,” she explained softly, positioning her hand so that she could link her fingers through his on the hand that was draped over her waist.

John swallowed thickly. He knew she was referring to the heart attack scare he’d had while living in Schitt’s Creek, and now he felt bad for not telling her, for giving her a reason to worry. “I’m sorry, Moira. I didn’t mean to scare you. I promise to tell you next time, sweetheart.”

She looked back at him with a light smile and nodded. “I love you, Johnny.”

“I love you, too, Moira.”

“Good. Now close your eyes. You’ve got to feel better so I can come home early for other reasons,” she said curtly, and heard him groan before she felt him kiss her shoulder. And soon, Moira heard her husband snore, hopefully finding peace as he slumbered. She, too, shut her eyes, hoping to join him in dreamland.


End file.
